Bed-spring tightener.



PATENTED DEC. 12, 1905.

A. L. BARNUM.

BED SPRING TIGHTENER.

APPLICATIONIILED JULY 15. 1905.

5/ fl.L Barnum.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT L. BARNUM, OF PINERIDGE, SOUTH DAKOTA, ASSIGNOROF ONE- HALFTO H.A. DAWSON, H. P. SIMMONS, R. (l STIRK, B. J. GLEASON,

AND JAS. R. WALKER.

No. so7,34s.

BED-SPRING TIGHTENER.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

' Application filed July 15, 1905. Serial No. 269,767-

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT L. BARNUM, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Pineridge. in the county of Shannon and State ofSouth Dakota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bed-SpringTighteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in bed-spring tighteners, and hasfor its object to provide a simple and effective construction oftightening device whereby the spring of a bed may be convenientlyadjusted to the desired tension.

Another object is to provide a tightener whereby the portions of thespring on opposite sides of the center line ofa bedstead may betightened to different degrees according tothe weight which is to besustained thereby.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view showing theap-' plication of the tightener to the side rails of a bed-springframe,one of the movable members being broken away to better expose theinterior construction. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a cross-section through the tightener, showing one of thetightening-rolls held by the dog and illustrating in full and brokenlines the adjustability of the dog. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of theframe-bar or stationary member of the tightener detached from thespring-frame. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the dogs, and Fig.6 is a similar view of one of the end disks or heads.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1represents the stationary member of the tightener, which in practiceextends transversely of the bedspring frame and forms one of the endpieces or rails thereof to connect the adjacent ends of the side piecesof said frame.

the member 1 is in the form of a winged bar and comprises a horizontalbody-plate 2, provided with a depending strengthening-flange 3,coextensive in length with the plate. The ends of the plate 2-areapertured, as shown at 4, for the passage of screws or other suitablefastenings 5 to secure the same to the As shown,

ends of the side rails 6 of the spring-frame. The ends of the flange 3,underlying the perforated ends of the plate 2, form tongues 7 to engageslots 8, formed in the rails 6 to provide a rigid connectionsupplementing the holding action of the screws 5 to rigidly connect thestationary member to the frame. The plate 2 is also provided with a,vertical flange 9, which is connected with the outer flange or portionof the horizontal plate 2 by a series of webs or ribs 10, said webs orribs being arranged in spaced pairs to form a series of. chambersorpockets 11.

Revolubly mounted upon the member 1 is a series of movable members 12,each consist- 5 ing of a cylindrical roll or sleeve surrounding 4 themember 1 and adapted to turn upon the radial wings thereof. The rolls orsleeves 12 are coextensive in length with the distance between thepockets 10 and are arranged so that they break joint with or overlapsaid pockets with their ends terminating between the pockets. In otherwords, each roll or sleeve centrally incloses one of the pockets and hasits end portions terminating midway of the distance between said pocketand the next adjoining pockets, the rolls or sleeves thus inclosing thebar between the rails 6. The outer ends of the outer sleeves are closedby disks or heads 13, which abut against the inner faces of the rails 6and protect the same from wear, each of which is provided with acruciform slot 14 to adapt it to be fitted upon the tongue 7 andapertured end of the plate 2. Each roll or sleeve 12 is provided with aholding bar or member 15 to engage and clamp the end of the spring 16,said bar being secured thereto by screws 17 Each bar 15 in addition toforming a clamp forthe end of the spring provides a shoulder with whicha suit- 9 able implement may be engaged to turn the roll to tighten thespring to the desired tenslon.

Arranged within each pocket 10 is a locking-dog 18, each dog being, likethe pocket, of segmental form and. having a straight bearing edge 19 tonormally rest against the flange 9 and a curved or rounded base 20, onwhich it is adapted to tilt or rock on the outer flange or portion ofthe plate 2, and a biting tooth or edge 21, formed at the intersectionof the fulcrum edge 12 with the edge 22 of the dog opposite the inner orbearing edge 19.

The inner flange or portion of the horizontal plate 2 is of somewhatgreater width than the outer edge or portion of said plate, the flanges3 and 9, in order that each roll or sleeve 12 may bear when in lockedposition against the edge of the said inner flange or portion of theplate 2, as shown in Fig. 3, to supplement the action of the dog to holdthe roll from retrograde rotation under the pull of the tightened spring16. The dogs 18 nor mally stand in the position shown in Fig. 3, fromwhich it will be seen that their bearing edges or abutting portions 19rest against the flange 9, while their teeth 21 engage the innerperiphery of the rolls 12 and hold the same from retrograde rotation ormotion to the left in Fig. 1 under the pull of the spring 16, whilepermitting the rolls to be turned to the right in Fig. 1 to tighten upthe spring, such motion of the rolls being permitted by the capabilityof the dogs to turn upon their fulcrums 20 to the dotted-line positionshown in Fig. 3. It will thus be understood that after the spring hasbeen adjusted to the approximate tension it may be tightened to theexact tension desired by applying an adjusting-tool to each roll andturning the same outwardly or to the right, the dogs 18 tiltingoutwardly on their fulcrum portions 20 to accommodate such movement andarresting the movement when the outer edges of their said fulcrumportions abut against the plate 2 and their apex portions come intocontact with the inner peripheries of the rolls, as indicated in dottedlines in Fig. 3. The tooth or biting edge 21 of each dog will remain incontact with the roll and hold the same from retrograde rotation in itsnewly-adjusted position. It will of course be understood that byproperly shaping the dogs the rolls may be given different degrees ofadjustment, so that the different portions of the spring lying onopposite sides of the longitudinal center of the bedstead may betightened to different degrees, according to the weight which is to besustained thereby.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction and mode of use of my improvedspring-tightener will be apparent, and it will be readily seen that theinvention provides a device of this character which forms an element ofthe spring frame which is strong and durable and adapted to permit thespring to be conveniently tightened, which forms a permanent fixture ofthe spring-frame,

and in which the locking elements are concealed and protected. By thusinclosing the locking elements the'entrance of dust and moisture will beprevented, so that they will at all times be free for movement to permitthe tension of the spring to be regulated. As the spring stretches inuse the dogs may be set for tightening the same to a further degree byremoving the stationary element 1 and detaching one of the rollstherefrom, after which the other sleeves may be adjusted to permit thedogs to be reset to their normal position,

so that when the rolls are reapplied and the stationary member againfixed to the springframe the parts may be adjusted in the manner beforedescribed to tighten up the spring.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. Abed-spring tightener comprising a stationary member provided with aseries of chambers or pockets, a series. of rolls adapted to turn uponsaid stationary member, and dogs disposed in said pockets and adapted toengage the rolls to hold the same from retrograde rotation, said dogsbeing adapted to tilt to permit the rolls to be turned in one directionfor tightening a spring.

2. A bed-spring tightener comprisinga stationary member composed of abar provided with means of attachment to the side rails of aspring-frame and having a series of pockets, a series of rolls mountedto turn upon said bar, disks or heads mounted upon the ends of the barsand closing the outer ends of the outer rolls, and dogs in said pocketsto engage and hold the rolls from retrograde rotation, said dogs beingadapted to tilt to permit adjustment of said rolls in one direction,whereby the rolls'may be independently adjustedto tighten the spring.

3. A bed-spring tightener comprising a stationary member provided with apocket having walls arranged approximately at right angles to eachother, a roll adapted to turn upon the stationary member, and asegmental dog disposed loosely in said pocket, said dog havinga straightbearing edge adapted to rest against one of said walls, a rocking edgeadapted to rest upon the other wall, and an abutting tooth to engage andhold the roll from retrograde movement, the construction being such thatwhen the roll is turned forwardly the dog will tilt upon its rockingedge to accommodate such movement and adapt the roll to be turnedforwardly to the desired extent, whereby upon a prescribed retrogrademovement of the roll the dog will swing back to locking position to holdthe roll from further retrograde movement.

4. A bed-spring tightener comprising a stationary member provided with aseries of chambers or pockets, a series of rolls adapted to turn uponsaid stationary member, each of said pockets having walls arrangedsubstantially at right angles to each other, and segmental dogs looselydisposed in said pockets, each of said dogs havinga bearing edge toengage one of the walls, a fulcrum edge to tilt upon the other wall, andan abutting tooth to engage the roll, whereby when the roll is turnedforwardly the dog will tilt upon its fulcrum edge to accommodate suchmovement and permit the roll to be adjusted as desired, and upon theprescribed retrograde movement of the roll thedog will swing back tolooking I position to hold the dog from further retrograde movement.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT L. BARNUM.

Witnesses:

JAs. R. WALKER, E. E. MOINTYRE.

